What did the EU ever do for Britain?

You hear it asked by well-meaning people all the time. And to be fair, the EU has had its share of bad publicity. We all know it’s bureaucratically top-heavy. We all know it’s clunky and sometimes passes really silly laws. But that said, how has Britain fared from it’s membership of this unique social, economic and political experiment?

But with the referendum looming we thought it a good time to re-post this great letter by Simon Sweeney in the Guardian newspaper. Frankly, if you still think “Brexit” is a good idea after reading this, then you’re simply not interested in facts.

European civil and military co-operation in post-conflict zones in Europe and Africa;

support for democracy and human rights across Europe and beyond;

and investment across Europe contributing to better living standards and educational, social and cultural capital.

All of this is nothing compared with its greatest achievements: the EU has for 60 years been the foundation of peace between European neighbours after centuries of bloodshed.

It furthermore has assisted the extraordinary political, social and economic transformation of 13 former dictatorships, now EU members, since 1980.

Now the union faces major challenges brought on by neo-liberal economic globalisation, and worsened by its own systemic weaknesses although it is taking measures to overcome these. We in the UK should reflect on whether our net contribution of £7bn out of total government expenditure of £695bn is good value. We must play a full part in enabling the union to be a force for good in a multi-polar global future.

Simon Sweeney,
Lecturer in International Political Economy,
University of York

Despite this, the anti-EU campaign will have the full force of Murdoch’s and the other 4 extremist right-wing media billionaires papers whose straightforward agenda always has been, and still is, to weaken or remove all our human rights and reduce working people to contemporary serfdom.

Murdoch is Australian/American living in New York, Rothermere lives in France, the Barclay Brothers live in the tax havens of Monaco and Guernsey.

So key question – is in light of the above list of the EU’s successes – why have these billionaires and their loopy political fellow travellers for decades tried to destroy the EU’s democratic institutions? Hmmm?

Like this:

Related

Although the ‘out’ campaign keep complaining about EU workers coming here, what about all the Brits who are working easily throughout Europe? The bar owners in Spain and other holiday places. Let alone other people wanting to work in Europe. And who will pick our strawberries and clean our cars if we ban the Eastern Europeans from coming (said with a certain amount of sarcasm). We depend on many EU workers to keep the things we need running.

Brits have been living abroad for years – long before the dreadful days of the EU. And they will continue to live abroad after the EU finally eats itself and becomes just a bad memory.

The EU is nothing but a statist politician’s wet dream, inserting themselves into areas that politicians never should be. A wholly unnecessary layer of autocracy and bureaucracy. The sooner the UK is out the better it will be for all. In the meantime, buy some Sterling. V cheap.

Indeed it does. Although I do express my views elsewhere too. I have always despised the EU post-Maastricht as the Federal Europe really began to take shape. I applauded the ‘Common Market’ principle but not what it has become.

At least we can agree on something come 3pm UK time on Saturday as I watch over a mug of tea and you over a very late night cap.

This is, alas, a topic on which we will never agree, as we start from such a different place. But yes, we are bang in line on the ever upwards momentum of the mighty Southampton FC. There, that’s put the mokkers on them.

LOL, indeed. Especially with Chelski having thumped in 10 in their last two games. Their irresistible force v our immovable object (Forster). We shall see. If Chelski smash one in early it may be a cue for both of us to return to our respective beds.